Peregrine Michael Hungerford Pollen was an English auctioneer who headed Parke-Bernet in the 1960s after it was purchased by Sotheby's.
14 Facts About Peregrine Pollen
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Peregrine Pollen was known for expanding the auction house in North America, and bringing a dramatic flair to auctions.
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Peregrine Pollen attended Eton College and read modern languages at Christ Church, University of Oxford.
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Peregrine Pollen then worked as a Latin teacher, an organist in Australia, warehouse worker in Los Angeles, a gasoline attendant, pantry boy on an ocean liner from London to Las Palmas, aluminium worker in Kitimat, British Columbia, and attendant at a psychiatric hospital.
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Peregrine Pollen served his national service in the King's Royal Rifle Corps before becoming an aide-de-camp to the Governor of Kenya, Evelyn Baring, from 1955 to 1957.
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Peregrine Pollen first began working for Sotheby's in 1957, rising to become an aide to the company's chairman, Peter Wilson, before he was made the company's first New York City representative in 1960.
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Peregrine Pollen expanded it throughout North America, opening facilities in Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, and Sao Paulo.
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Peregrine Pollen spearheaded the opening of PB 84, a discount store, in New York City in 1968.
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At a 1967 auction of treasure from the 1715 Treasure Fleet, Peregrine Pollen had a talking macaw brought in and projected images of the fleet on the walls of the auction room.
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Peregrine Pollen later had a caique from South America named Papagoya that accompanied him around the city and was reportedly addicted to alcohol.
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Peregrine Pollen oversaw auctions of numerous items, including Helena Rubinstein's collection and treasure salvaged from the 1715 Treasure Fleet.
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In 1972, Peregrine Pollen became vice-chairman of Sotheby's and returned to England.
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When Gordon Brunton was made the chairman after Wilson's retirement, Peregrine Pollen left the company, retiring in 1982.
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Peregrine Pollen lived in Norton Hall, Gloucestershire where he planted between 6,000 and 8,000 trees, and was a trustee of the Westonbirt Arboretum.